That includes six recruits who are set to enroll early and begin classes Tuesday among the 23 total who are committed. The other 17 are set to sign national letter-of-intent on Feb. 6.
Even if it turns out to be nothing but leverage for more money to return for a fourth year and beyond at Notre Dame, the future Irish players looking to build on ND's BCS National Championship Game appearance Monday night in Miami Gardens, Fla., were clearly caught off guard by the ESPN report that broke just before 9 p.m. Wednesday.
"I plan on being there in 72 hours and I'm sticking to that," said James Onwualu, a wide receiver recruit from St. Paul, Minn., and one of the six who gave up their senior spring semester of high school to start their ND careers early. "I'll be on campus and we'll see what happens."
But he and other recruits were calling Irish assistant coaches Wednesday night to get some kind of clarity for a development they never saw coming.
A source close to the Irish football program and one with the Eagles both confirmed to the South Bend Tribune what ESPN had first reported, that Kelly interviewed with the Eagles on Tuesday. Kelly was spotted in Nashville, Tenn., at the American Football Coaches Association's national convention Tuesday night, then left for a family vacation.
Calls to Kelly, Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick and Kelly's agent, Trace Armstrong, went unreturned Wednesday night.
Per ESPN and citing league sources, there was mutual interest after Kelly's interview and that the two sides would revisit their conversations when Kelly returns from vacation this weekend. The Eagles fired head coach Andy Reid on Dec. 30 following 14 seasons with the organization.
The real question in all this: Is it real or is this Armstrong's way of driving up Kelly's price?
Kelly originally signed a five-year contract in December 2009 to coach the Irish, believed to pay him $2.5 million a year. On Jan. 10, 2012, the university announced it had exercised an option included in Kelly's contract to extend the contract for an additional two years.
An hour after the ESPN report surfaced, Kelly was the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter, roughly 48 hours after his top-ranked Irish fell, 42-14, to No. 2 Alabama in the BCS National Championship Game. ND finished fourth in the final AP poll, its best showing since 1993.
On Sunday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Swarbrick told a group of reporters covering the national championship matchup, "I'm really confident that Brian has enjoyed his experience at Notre Dame, and when we're past (Monday) we'll sit down and talk about securing that future. We love having him and he loves being at Notre Dame."
Swarbrick, who meets with Kelly after every season, was asked specifically if an extension was in the works.
"Everything that goes into the program is on the table when we have those discussions."
Kelly, 28-11 in three years with ND, Sunday also addressed possible interest that seemed to be building from NFL teams.
"When I took the job at Notre Dame, I think I said it was a dream job," he said. "I think from my perspective I've got the best job in the country -- NFL, college, high school, whatever. I just look at the place that I'm at and thankful for the opportunity that I have."
Two of ND's top returning players, nose guard Lou Nix and offensive tackle Zack Martin, announced in December they were pushing away temptations to dive into the NFL Draft Pool with college eligibility still on the table and return to the team for 2013.
Running back Cierre Wood, who holds a fifth-year option, is undecided and has until Tuesday to declare for the draft.
Staff writers Tyler James and Al Lesar contributed to this story.
Staff writer Eric Hansen:
ehansen@sbtinfo.com
574-235-6112
m.i.a super bowl coin toss madonna super bowl halftime kelly clarkson super bowl giants super bowl 2012 half time show halftime show 2012
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.